Rail-joint and bar therefor



June 19, 1934.

R. F. GREENWOOD 1,963,580 RAIL JOINT AND BAR THEREFOR Filed Nov. 12. 1931 wag Patented June 19, 1934 RAIL-JOINT AND BAR THEREFOR Richard F. Greenwood, New York,

to Standard Equipments, Inc., a corporation of Maryland Application November 12, 1931, Serial'No.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in railjoints and bars therefor. I

Objects of this invention are to improve the construction of the rail-joints and rail-joint bars and particularly to improve that type of joint employing a bar composed of flexible or resilient metal having a relatively rigid and thick medial section withintegral end sections which areusually thinner and more flexible or resilient; to produce a bar of the type specified which will produce a joint closely approaching the conditions which would obtain with continuous steel rails; to produce a bar of the type specified which will function as a live joint-bar providing.adjustabletension to be applied at the joint; toproduce a bar of the type specified having the relatively rigid medial section initially longitudinally cambered or bowed at its top portion and combined with relatively resilient end sections having a bottom, flange-contacting surface, which in the normal or initial form of the bar, before application to the rail, is substantially rectilinear and is'adapted upon tightening up by bolts to travel at its ends inwardly and upwardly on the flange of the rail, and to be convexed during such movement so as to contact with the incline of the flange at varying 'levels, and to cause the longitudinally cambered top portion to assume a rectilinear position substantially tangential to the initial camber or bow of said top portion; to provide increased support ing contact of said top portion of said medial section of the rail-joint bar with the under surface of the railhead; to cause such rail-joint bars to have a frictional and resilient interlocking en-, gagement between the heads and flanges of the rail ends at and adjacent to the joint; to provide a construction in which the portion of the railbar immediately beneath the joined ends of the rail will be subjected to the normal tension employed and will have a tendency to slightly crown the joint; to provide a bar in which thetension tending to horizontal bowing which is applied on the bar through the bolts will increase toward the vertical median line of bar which is directly beneath the joint and will decrease in intensity toward the ends; to provide a bar-which, under load of the wheels of the rolling stock will afford the maximum resistance to the support of the load directly beneath the rail-ends and which will produce a wave motion similar to that produced in any other section of the-free rail; to provide a bar which will have a tendency to cause the wheels of the rolling equipment to roll out batter marks at the rail ends and to provide smooth, level rails across the joint; to produce a curvature and also to increase N. Y., assignor bar of the character described provided with a medial section having an inner web-contacting surface formed with an initial'or normal horizontal camber or bow in combination with resilient ends having cambered surfaces lying substantially within the horizontal are or bowing of said medial section, whereby flexing of the ends of the bars inwardly will tend to cause the horie zontally or longitudinally cambered or bowed inner surface of the medial section to approach a rectilinear line tangential to the initial or normal the contact surand the inner face of to enable the applicaface between said rail web the bar, and furthermore,

tion of tension on the centrally located bolts as well as on the end bolts; to provide a bar which will control thefrail-joint movement known as wave motion and which, while giving an increased bearing area will cause. a concentration of the frictional and tensional holding power at the it;

bar beneath the rail-head the supporting power is central portion of the at the rail ends where most needed.

With these and other objects in view, the in-' vention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to coact and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptions and species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:-"

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a railjoint embodying my invention, the rail-joint bars having bolts inserted but'not tightened; i Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rail-j oint shown 1nFig.1;

Fig. 3 a'section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow; I

, Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 ofiFig, 2 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig, '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing bolts drawn tight; g 7 I Fig.8 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2jshowing the position of the parts of the bars when bolts have beentightened up.

Referring now to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1- -2 indicates rails, the ends of which it is desired to join, and 3 indicates the rail-joint bar which is disposed across the meeting line of the rails and inserted between the flanges 1 and the heads 1 of the rail. A pair of these bars is employed at each joint, one member of the bar being disposed, as stated, on each side of the rail.

In accordance with my invention, each of the bars 3 comprises a medial section 4, and end sections 5, 5', and the medial section 4 is provided in its normal unattached form with a horizontally or longitudinally cambered, bowed or arched rail-contacting portion which, by the application through wing-ends moving up the inclined flange of the rail as hereinafter more particularly described, is straightened out so as to concentrate the tension at said horizontally or longitudinally cambered portion. In the preferred form of my invention, I provide a horizontally or longitudinally cambered, bowed or arched top portion 4', the top or apex of the arch portion being disposed directly beneath the head well within the centroid area. The bar 3 is preferably formed of a drop steel forging instead of the usual rolled steel bar and is of such resilient properties not only to provide a connection but also to enable the application in the bar of a powerful spring tension. This spring tension is produced by the movement, through the bolts, of wing-ends 5-5 along the incline of the rail flange. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the inner web contacting surface 4 and the fillet-contact surface 4 of the bar 3 at its medial section a are also horizontally or longitudinally cambered, bowed or arched so as to contact initially with the web and fillet portions only at the central part of said medial section and in said preferred embodiment of my invention, the application of tension through the aforesaid movement of the wing-ends of the bar not only provides a powerful spring tension which acts in a vertical direction, but also enables a powerful spring tension to be exerted in horizontal and upwardly oblique directions.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention,

this powerful spring tension is exerted on the bar to straighten out the horizontally or longitudinally arched, bowed or cambered portion 4' and the horizontally or longitudinally arched and cambered portions a and 4 simultaneously by the tightening of the bolts, and as illustrated, the wing-ends 5-5 are reduced or diminished in horizontal cross-section and extend in spaced relationship from the webs of the rails, while the bottom portions 5 of the wing at the end portions of the bar will initially contact with the bottom of the incline of the flanges l, 2 of the rails, and upon inward movement by bolt pressure toward the web of the rail these wingends will ride upwardly upon the incline of the flanges 1, 2 and this vertical movement will cause a straightening out into a substantially rectilinear condition of the horizontally or longitudinally cambered portion 4' of the bar so that the outer portions 4 and 4 of the cambered top portion will be forced into contact with the underside of the head 1 of the rail and a powerful spring tension will be produced at the central portion 4 of said horizontally or longitudinally cambered top portion. In the initial condition of the bar, the bottom surface will be substantially rectilinear, but when the wing-ends are moved upwardly on the incline, this bottom portion is conveXed and portions of said bottom surface contact with and rest on the incline at varying levels thereof. This powerful spring tension will thus be exerted beneath the head portions of the rail ends so that the bar or bars will have a tendency to slightly crown the joint, and either rail may be raised independently from the adjacent rail by applying more tension on the end bolts of the rail to be raised than that of the opposite bolts. This adjustment is more particularly desirable when my joint bars are applied to worn rails. Both rails may be raised by uniformly applying tension on both end bolts. This tension on the bar which tends to a horizontal or longitudinal bowing thereof will be increased towards the vertical medial line of the medial section of the bar which is directly beneath the joint and will decrease in intensity toward the end portions i 4 of said medial section, thus providing a joint which under load of the wheels of the rolling stock will afford maximum resistance to and support of the dynamic load directly beneath the rail head and will also, instead of having a dead beam effect, develope a wave motion similar to the wave motion produced in the rails which are joined thereby, and I find that when bars of my improved type are employed, they will have a tendency to cause the Wheels of the rolling equipment to roll out the battered rail-ends and thus provide a smooth and level rail across the joint.

The provision of the cambered portions at the web-contacting and fillet-contacting surfaces of the medial section of the bar will enable the tensional contacting surfaces between the rail ends and the bar to be increased, and furthermore the tendency of these portions of the bar to assume original shape will produce tension on all the bolts. These horizontal cambers on the web-contacting and fillet-contacting surfaces will also cooperate with the camber on the top surface of the medial section to provide a bar which will control the rail-joint movement and which, while giving an increased bearing area will cause a concentration of the frictional and spring holding power of the bar at the central portion thereof beneath the rail-head where the supporting power is most needed.

In the preferred form of my invention-illustrated the wing ends 5-5 are put under tension by end bolts 6-6 and the medial section is provided with bolts 7, 7. It will be noted that when all the bolts are drawn tight as shown in Fig. '7, the horizontal cambered portions 4 and 4 will be converted into a horizontal rectilinear line which closely abuts against the web and fillet of the rail and the cambered portion 4 will likewise be converted into a rectilinear surface which will closely abut against the bottom surface of the head 1 of the rail.

In the embodiment shown, the cambered surfaces all extend longitudinally of the bar. The cambered back or web-contact surface 4' and the cambered top surface 4' have, as illustrated. diiferent radii. Thus, the radius of the cambered top-surface 4 is longer than the radius of the cambered surface 4a and the radius of the filletcontact surface 45* is proportional to radii of the other two cambered surfaces.

It will be noted also that because of the tension applied at the medial section 4, the bolts 7, '7 will be maintained under tension as well as bolts 6, 6, and consequently these bolts 7-7' as well as the bolts 6, 6 will always be held tightly by spring tension and cannot become loose so as to make the same ineffective.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely dif ferent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof;

it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, I claim:---

1. A rail-joint embodying, in combination, rails having abutting ends and provided with heads and with flanges having inclined surfaces, a bar comprising a relatively thick and rigid medial section and end sections of relatively greaterflexibility and adapted to be flexed inwardly toward the rails, said bar being provided in its untensioned condition at its said medial section with a longitudinally-cambered top-portion having a part thereof adapted in said untensioned con-- dition to contact with the rail head to provide a portion of a fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sections, a longitudinally-cambered web-contacting back portion also having a part thereof adapted to contact with the web of the rail to provide a portion of said fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sections, and a longitudinally-cambered fillet-contacting portion also having a part thereof adapted to contact with the fillet of the rail to provide a portion of said fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sec tions, said bar having a bottom portion contacting at opposite ends with the flanges of the rails, and bolts for applying tension to move the end sections of said bar up the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges to cause said longitudinallycambered portions to be straightened out simultaneously.

2. A rail connecting element having a relatively large medial section associated with integral end sections of greater flexibility, bolting means for coupling said element to the rails, said element having, in untensioned condition a longi-.

tudinally-cambered rail-head contacting portion, a longitudinally-cambered longitudinal upper fillet-contacting portion, and a longitudinally cambered web-contacting portion, the rail-head contacting portion being of longer radius than the camber of the web-contacting portion and thecamber of the fillet-contacting portion being proportional in the length of its radius to the radii of the cambers of the headcontacting and web-contacting portions respectively, a part of one of said cambered portions being adapted in untensioned condition of the bar to contact with the rail and to provide a fulcrum about which the metal of the bar is adapted to be moved upon inward flexing of said end sections and a part of each of the other cambered portions being adapted successively to contact with the rail and to form part of said fulcrum, said bar having a bottom portion contacting at opposite ends with the flanges of the rails, and means for forcibly moving the end sections of said bar up the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges to cause the straightening out of said longitudinally cambered medial portion,

3. A rail-joint embodying, in combination rails having abutting ends and provided with heads and with flanges having inclined surfaces, a bar comprising a relatively thickand rigid medial section and end sections of relatively greater flexibility, and adapted to be flexed inwardly toward the rail, said end section being offset, in untensioned condition, from the web and head of the rail and having at the ends thereof bottom portions disposed in substantially the same plane cambered portion above the said the camber of 1 tilinear bottom portion,

said untensioned condition and contacting with the flanges of the rails and provided in its said untensioned condition at its said medial section with a bottom portion lying inside the plane of the ends and a longitudinallybottom portion of the medial section, a part of which cambered portion is adapted in said untensioned condition to contact with the rail to provide a fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the said end sections, and means for forcibly moving the flange-contacting end portions of said bar upwardly and inwardly on the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges to cause the straightening out of said longitudinally-cambered medial portion.

4. A rail-joint embodying, in combination, rails having abutting ends, and provided with heads and with flanges having inclined surfaces, a bar comprising a relatively thick and rigid medial section and end sections of relatively greater flexibility and adapted to be flexed inwardly toward the rails, said end sections being in untensioned condition offset from the head and web of the rail and said bar having at the ends thereof bottom portions disposed in substantially the same plane and contacting with the flanges of the rails, said bar being provided in said untensioned condition at its said medial section with a substantially rectilinear bottom portion lying inside the plane of the bottom portion of the ends and a longitudinally-cambered top portion above said rectilinear bottom portion, a part of which cambered portion is adapted in said untensioned condition to contact with the rail-head to provide a fulcrum about which metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sections, and bolts for applying tension to move bar up the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges to cause said longitudinally cambered portion to be straightened out and said rectilinear bottom portion to be convexed.

v5. A rail-joint embodying, in combination, rails having abutting ends and provided with heads and with flanges having inclined surfaces, a bar comprising a relatively thick and rigid medial section and end sections of relatively greater flexibility and adapted to be flexed inwardly toward the rails, said end sections being in untensioned condition offset from the head and web of the rail and said bar having at the ends thereof bottom portions disposed in substantially the same plane and contacting with the flanges of the rails,

said bar being provided in said untensioned condition at its said medial section with a substantially rectilinear bottom portion lying inside the plane of the bottom portion of the ends and a longitudinally-cambered top portion above said reca part of which cambered portion is adapted in to contact with the rail-head to provide a portion of the fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sections, said bar also being provided with alongitudin'ally-cambered web-contacting back portion merging with said top canibered portion and also having a part the web of the rail to'provide a portion of said fulcrum about which the metal of the bar will be moved upon inward flexing of the end sections, and bolts for applying tension to move the end sections of said bar up the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges to cause said longitudinally-'cambered' portions to be straightened out simultaneously.

RICHARD F. GREENWOOD.

thereof adapted to contact with the end sections of said 

